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While nearly all major video game studios have taken lumps for cranking out formulaic sequels, sometimes it feels like a special brand of scorn is heaped on poor ol’ Ubisoft.

Which is kind of odd, really. Sure, there’s definitely a degree of sameness to Ubisoft’s open-world action franchises – from Assassin’s Creed to Far Cry to relative newcomers, such as Watch Dogs and next month’s The Division. But the French gaming giant has also taken some creative risks with its established series, such as the pirate-themed Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, the recently reinvented Rainbow Six Siege and this month’s Far Cry Primal – which might be the biggest left turn of any gaming series yet.

In its four main instalments since 2004, Far Cry has always been about the explosive mix of guns and vehicles in a sprawling, open world. Primal takes things way, way back to the Stone Age – 10,000 B.C., to be exact – and drops players into a prehistoric wilderness teeming with dangerous wildlife. No assault rifles, no jeeps, no towns or shops or radio chatter. Just spears, arrows and all manner of hungry beasties.

It’s a bold and commendable move for Ubisoft to shake up the Far Cry experience so vigorously, but it’s a shame the final result isn’t quite as much fun as its some of its predecessors. For all the effort Primal makes to offer something different, it also inherits – and even magnifies – some of the franchise’s familiar weaknesses.

Primal casts you as Takkar, a caveman in the fictional post-Ice Age land of Oros, located somewhere in what would today be central Europe. Takkar’s quest is to find and reunite members of his Wenga tribe, who are being driven to extinction by the fierce, cannibalistic Udam tribe to the north and the more advanced, fire-wielding Izila to the south.

To master his prehistoric domain and ultimately challenge the leaders of the opposing tribes, Takkar must seek out diverse and far-flung allies, each of whom opens up a new set of abilities or weapons. Early on, Takkar meets a shaman who teaches him how to communicate with animals – everything from cunning wolves to bloodthirsty sabre-toothed tigers – which Takkar can then guide (and in some cases, ride) into battle.

The game does a great job of making low-tech combat exciting and engaging, and I never really found myself longing for an AK-47 or rocket-propelled grenade launcher. (A sniper rifle, maybe, but only sometimes.) From massive clubs to flaming arrows to beehive bombs dropped by an owl who acts as a sort of feathery reconnaissance drone, there are plenty of ways to do grievous harm in Primal, and battles are full of the unpredictable chaos that’s always been a trademark of Far Cry.

But the lack of technology does make the game feel a little constrained, especially because there’s so much focus on hunting and gathering to acquire the resources Takkar needs to craft weapons and upgrade the huts in his home village. What was generally a take-it-or-leave-it side path in previous Far Cry games is now the spine of Primal, and it can get tedious at times.

There are genuine flashes of brilliance in Primal, to be sure. It’s a dazzling-looking game, with one of the most beautiful natural environments I’ve seen in an open-world title. And once Takkar has mastered a range of skills, it’s awfully satisfying to mix and match them in battle. You can storm an enemy encampment on the back of a woolly mammoth, chuck a flaming spear into a foe’s chest, summon a cave bear and order it to rip rival warriors to pieces and then mop up with arrows and fire bombs.

And while Primal’s story is thin (and the game’s made-up prehistoric language is subtitled in a slightly jarring modern-day font), the supporting characters are some of the most memorable in a Far Cry game. Mostly in a good way. Mostly.

But despite the exotic setting, there’s still a pervasive sense of familiarity about Primal. Liberating outposts, saving allies from enemy attacks, swinging on grappling hooks, going on hallucinogenic drug trips, hunting specific critters to unlock upgrades, gathering plants to make ability-boosting concoctions... Hell, Far Cry 4 had us riding elephants and commanding a tiger to shred enemies, so even those experiences aren’t entirely fresh here. Sometimes Primal feels like a brilliant 10-hour Far Cry spinoff that got stretched out into a 25-hour, full-priced game.

I suspect the next major Far Cry instalment will return to the modern day, but I’d love to see Ubisoft continue experimenting with the franchise from time to time. Primal doesn’t quite discover the secret to fire, but it’s an entertaining blast to the very distant past.